El Salvador Finca El Cerro Natural – Red Rooster Coffee

Red Rooster is a Virginia roaster I had heard a lot about—and only good things. I’d seen their coffee on CoffeeReview.com a variety of times always scoring high marks, so I knew I needed to try some of it myself. I recently had the opportunity to try two of their coffees (a naturally processed Ethiopian and a naturally processed El Salvadorian) and was incredibly impressed by both. While my love for naturally processed Ethiopian coffees will always run strongest, I was particularly in awe of the El Salvador coffee they sent. It was the first naturally processed El Salvador coffee I’ve had and it has kicked off a love affair and has led me to try 2-3 others from different roasters (reviews coming soon!) that have all impressed.

The coffee begins with a strong, sweet fragrance of raspberry and almonds that evolves to include notes of chocolate during brewing. The flavor was incredibly delicious and one of the best coffees I’ve tasted in a long time. I tasted notes of strawberry, raspberry, cocoa and subtle floral notes. There was a wonderful lemon citrus acidity that created an incredibly crisp cup of coffee. As the coffee cooled, the flavor became even sweeter and the coffee became even crisper and brighter. Finca El Cerro had a medium, silky body that was light in weight and full of brightness. It has a sweet-tart sweetness and a lingering finish with the citrus taking lead, but sweet berry notes also present. The complexity of the cup was one of its strongest attributes. There were lots of flavors that all blended together beautifully and evolved throughout each sip and throughout drinking each cup.

The Bottom Line

My first experience with Red Rooster did not disappoint. El Salvador Finca El Cerro Natural was one of the best coffees I’ve tried of the year and was incredibly fun to explore. It ignited a new love for naturally processed El Salvadorian coffees, which I plan to explore a lot more in the coming months.